24 Chapter 22: Yes I do the announcing!
"Happy Birthday!!!"
I was so surprised to see my mom and my brother. They're really here. They were holding a birthday cake with a lit candle. I realized that the countdown earlier was for the time to turn 12:00 at midnight. It's officially my birthday!
I was just smiling, still surprised. My mom went up to me and gave me tight hug. I hugged her back. I miss my mom so much. She gave me a kiss on the cheek.
"Happy Birthday son..." She greeted me.
"Happy Birthday, Kris." My brother said as he walked up to us.
"Thank you, mom... Thanks, Lance. How did you get here? I thought you can't make it."
"We'll discuss the details later on... For now... Just make a wish and blow your candle." Lance lifted the cake up.
"Okay... Sure."
I took a glance at Luke who was smiling behind them. I knew somehow he got something to do with this and I mouthed 'Thank You' to him.
I closed my eyes and made a wish. After a while, I opened my eyes and blew the candle.
My mom applauded.
"Uhm I think... It's better if we get inside and have a chit-chat. You have a lot of catching up to do." Luke suggested.
We went inside the house and Luke took the cake to the kitchen. My mom, Lance, and I were in the living room. I still can't hide how happy I am that they're with me.
"How have you been? I got a bit worried when Lance told me that you decided to stay here." My mom asked me.
"I'm good, mom, I learned a lot. And Luke has been a great housemate." I explained.
"He should be... He got a lot of courage back then..." Lance asserted while looking at Luke.
"Huh?"
"Uhm. I mean... He got a lot of courage to withstand living with someone like you..." He teased.
"Ah... You're poking fun at me... Too bad... It won't work... I'm too happy to get annoyed." I said then put my tongue out.
My mom let out a small laughed and look over to Luke who was slicing the cake and preparing the dishes.
"He's a good guy... A really good one." She said smiling.
"Well... I'll have to agree, mom... He had done several things for me..."
"Actually, us being here, was his idea as well," Lance said and it got me surprised.
"Really?" I uttered.
"Yes... He called me and met us before we told you we can't come... That was just a bluff." He explained.
"He met you?" I said still surprised.
"Yes... He went to our apartment just to tell us he wanted to surprise you on your birthday." Lance added.
I knew Luke was behind this but I'm still amazed to know he did it for me, to make me happy.
"A guy like him really suits you, Kris... At least I know you're in good hands." My mom said suddenly and it got me startled.
"Mom! He's not my... Wait... Did you?" It came to my mind that she knew something between Luke and I.
"Oh come on! we knew about who you are, son... We're you're family." I felt every word that she said. I felt secured about who I am. I can't explain what I'm feeling right now. I wanted to cry and be proud at the same time.
"I really wanted to hug you right now, but Luke is coming," I said as I sat properly.
"Yeah... We can talk about it some other time." Lance suggested.
"Here's your share of the cake..." Luke said as he handed over the plates to us.
"Thank you, Luke." My mom said.
"That's nothing, ma'am..." Luke sounded very mannered and respectful.
"I mean... for taking good care of Kris. You know sometimes he can be careless and naive..." My mom said. I lightly pulled on her shirt to stopped her from talking too much.
"Uhm... He was never a nuisance... I guess that made it easy for us to get along..." Luke answered.
"That's good then..." My mom concluded and smiled.
We enjoyed the cake and they talked to Luke for a while until my mom decided to take a rest. I told them to use my room. I let my mom use my bed since her previous room was still full of stuff and brought in an extra mattress for Lance.
I watched and waited for them to sleep. It brought a lot of memories when we were young. We used to live in a single room house and spent nights like this. I was so proud of my brother for working his butt off to get us to where we are right now. The same goes for our mother, for being supportive. Being with them right now was what I wanted for my birthday. Thanks to Luke.
I kissed my mom on her forehead and I went out of the room.
I saw Luke got out of his room bringing a blanket and an extra pillow. I sat on the couch then he put down the stuff on my side.
"Will you be okay sleeping here?" He asked.
"Of course... I am... It's not my first time to sleep on the couch."
"You can sleep beside me on a nice bed..." He offered flirtatiously.
"Ssshhh! Quit it! They might here you."
"Sorry..." He apologized and smiled.
I'm not sleepy at all, still feeling excited having my family here with me, so I asked Luke.
"Uhm... Luke, can we go for a quick walk? I'm not sleepy yet."
"Sure..."
-----
We were walking around not too far away from our house. It was so peaceful to hear the crickets chirping within the silence of the night.
"Thank you..." I said to start a conversation.
He looked at me and smiled.
"You've done several things for me and surprising me with my family on my birthday was the best so far..."
"Anything for you... I want you to be happy..." He said calmly.
"I know... I was supposed to surprise you as well at the party but I didn't get a chance to do it because of what happened."
"Really?" He uttered.
"Yeah... I was supposed to perform a song for you but things didn't go as planned." I said feeling bad that I didn't get to surprise him.
He stopped walking then scoffed.
"I'm now more pissed at them for doing that to you... They should pay." He said with narrowed eyebrows and his hands on his hips.
"No... Promise me you won't do anything... Let the university officials deal with them..." I gripped on my words. I don't want him to get into more trouble.
"Fine..." He uttered reluctantly.
He took a deep breath and asked me.
"Uhm... Can I hear you sing now?"
"I don't have my guitar with me... I'm more comfortable singing with it... Don't worry... You'll get a chance to hear it some other time..." I said hoping he would understand.
"Okay... Okay..." He sounded disappointed. Then we took a few steps forward.
I felt bad for turning him down. I may not be able to sing for him but I can still tell him the reason behind it. I better say it now.
I took a deep breath and began to talk.
"I want to tell you something..."
"What is it?" He asked.
"I... Uhm..." My heartbeat began to race. I'm getting nervous.
He moved closer to me and our eyes met. I can feel my ears burning up.
"You..." He uttered softly and leaned forward closer to my face.
"I... I feel sleepy now... We should get back."
Damn it! I can't do it. His face was too close and I can't stop my heart from pounding.
"Oh... Okay... Me too..." He said then he yawned.
I was not able to say it. I chickened out. On our way back home, I saw him took glances at me like he wants to say something. I want to know what he's thinking right now. We were walking so close to each other. There were times that our hands rubbed against each other and when that happens, I felt tingles going up to my chest. I wonder if he felt that too.
We were at the front of our house when we stopped for a while. I thought he will start to talk but he didn't. I don't want to get inside yet. I want us to talk about my feelings for him. I'm pulling myself together, taking deep breaths to gather enough courage. He walked towards the door but before he opened it, I called his attention.
"Luke..."
He turned around and I pecked a kiss on his cheek. I didn't know why I did that. It's like my body moved on its own. He was so surprised about it, it clearly showed on his face. Well, I'm surprised as well.
"I... Uh..." I tried to explain but my nerves took over me again and all I said was...
"Good night!"
I hurriedly walked past him to get inside the house to get myself out of the embarrassment but he grabbed me by the hand and pulled me back.
"If you can't say it... Let me help you... Remember the favor I asked of you before..." He sounded serious.
I tried to think but nothing came into my mind.
"The one at the park... You said you will do anything that I would ask."
I closed my eyes to think until I remember it... the favor.
"Oh yeah, I remember now," I uttered.
"Good... Then I'm asking you to be my boyfriend!"
Just like that everything went silent. All I can hear inside my head is him asking me to be his boyfriend. I want that too.
"I'm tired of flirting... I want to hold your hand, wrapped you around my arms, kiss you... But I can't because I respect you..." He's being quite eloquent.
I did get what he meant and I want him to know I feel the same way. I took another deep breath.
"Luke..." I said his name to calm him down.
"Let me finish first..." He said persistently.
So I listened.
"The day I first met you really changed my life... I searched for you... And now that I found you and had a chance to be with you every day... I can no longer stop myself..."
I looked into his eyes and kept on listening.
"You're the best thing that happened in my life... And I'll do anything to keep you happy, to keep you safe, to make you feel the same way as I do."
"Luke... Can I say something?" I asked as I touched his face.
He calmed down a bit.
"You make me happy all the time... And I do feel safe around you... You don't have to worry about making me feel the same way as you do because... I do..." I said it with all my heart.
"What?" He uttered.
"I do like you, Luke... And of course, I want to be your boyfriend!" I flashed a smile after I said that.
"Really? Are you sure?" He implored trying to certain with what I just said.
"Yes... I'm your boyfriend from now on..." I clarified.
He went up to me and gave me a tight hug. I can't believe how quickly my wish came true. I wished for happiness and right now, I am more than happy.
"Thank God! Finally!" He said it out loud.
"Ssshhh... Keep it down! They might wake up and see us..." I told him off while keeping my voice down.
"Well... It's too late for that."
We both looked towards the door where the voice came from and we were startled to see Lance standing at the doorway with his arms crossed on his chest.
-----
We were back inside the house, it's around 2:00 AM. Luke and I were sitting by each other's side across Lance who kept silent for a while, waiting for us to explain.
"Uhm... Lance..." Luke tried to start the conversation.
"I know what you have to say... I knew your intention from the moment we talked before, so if you can excuse us... I want to talk to my brother this time..."
I was a bit confused. When did they talk?.
Luke looked at me and held my hand.
"I'll be in my room..."
I nodded.
Luke went inside his room leaving me in the hot seat with my brother. I swallowed a lump that had formed in my throat because of the nerves.
"So... You already made up your mind... Are you sure about this?" Lance asked me.
"Uhm..." I was not able to respond. I kept quiet for a while.
"You can talk to me, Kris... I'm your brother..." He insisted.
"I... Uh..." I want to tell him everything but I don't know where to start.
"Fine... Let's start from the beginning..." He said as he laid his back on the couch.
I was not sure what he meant so I decided to share how we met.
"Well... He transferred to our school months ago... We are seatmates and he annoys me all the time... He used to be grumpy and I thought he would make my college life miserable... But with unexpected circumstances, I learned things about him... Good things... Little by little... I grew closer to him..."
"When did you realize you have feelings for him?" He asked again.
"We became so close to each other that I became jealous whenever someone flirts with him... At first, I didn't understand why... But I knew it has something to do with what I feel about him..."
He nodded but didn't say anything so kept on talking.
"He kept me safe... He's there whenever I need help... Or whenever I feel lonely... He's someone that I can trust..." I added.
"I see... Remember the day when we were supposed to move away?"
"Yeah..."
"When you were on your way to your school... Luke suddenly appeared at our doorstep and the first word that came out of his mouth was your name... He asked me to not take you away from him... He explained about your desire to stay... about buying this house... I never knew him before but his way of keeping you close to him was not something a normal friend would do... He cares so much about you... So I knew back then... You meant something to him... Something special..." He explained.
"So that explains how casual you were leaving me here..." I said as I realized everything.
"Yes... And I want you to know that as a brother I always back you up with everything..."
He held my hand to show his support and I felt my eyes getting stingy.
"What you're about to go through after this, is the real challenge for both of you... The world around us is full of hate, judgment, and hypocrisy... There are people who would never try to understand... I want you two to be strong... Never let go of each other..."
"I promise to keep your brother safe at all times..." Luke intervened as he walked out of his room.
"I'm sorry to interrupt but I just want you to know that Kris means a lot to me..." He said as he stepped closer to my side and held my hand.
"I'm ready to face any challenges that will test our relationship... I'll do anything for him." He added.
"I know you will... But I want my brother to do the same for you... You see... Being in a relationship is not a one-man battle... Each one of you should do their part or else your ship will sink down to the bottom..."
"I get it now... Thank you, Lance. I promise to do the same for him." I assured him.
"You've really grown up so fast, my brother... Now that you got someone to take care of you... I guess we don't need to worry anymore..."
"I won't let you down..." Luke ascertained.
"Well, all you need to think now is how you're going to tell it to our mom..."
"Will she be okay with this?" I asked.
"Trust me... She's been shipping the both of you since the night Luke gave you that bolster pillow."
"Really?"
"She knew it all along..." He said as he winked at us.
-----
I woke up late in the morning. I remember we decided to sleep after we talked, it was almost 3:00 AM. I rubbed my eyes when I heard my mom laughing. I got up on the couch and saw mom and Luke in the kitchen. They both have aprons on and seemed to be preparing something. Then I recalled it's my birthday!
"Good morning, mom!" I greeted her as I walked towards them.
"Good morning, sweetie..."
"I really missed seeing you here every morning, mom."
"I missed you too..."
"What are you going to cook?"
"Well... I'm going to cook your favorite Spaghetti, Lumpiang Shanghai, and Cordon Bleu..."
"Isn't that too much?"
"I told them I could just bring you all to a restaurant to celebrate but..." Luke tried to explain but my mom cut him off.
"I haven't cooked for you for a long while... I know you miss my home-cooked food..."
"I do... Thank you, mom..." I said as I gave her a hug.
"Can I help you preparing those?" I asked thinking they need an extra hand.
"It's your birthday... You should be relaxing... Besides, your boyfriend is helping me out..."
My eyes got bigger when she said that. I glanced at Luke who was just as surprised as me.
"Oh... You told her?" I asked him.
He shook his head.
"Your brother told me that you both have something to tell me and I already knew what it is..." She explained.
So Lance already gave her a hint about us and he was right when he said our mom knew it all along.
"And you're okay with it?" I asked.
"Of course, I am... I've been wanting to have a very handsome son-in-law..."
"Mom!"
"What? You're lucky to have him... You should be proud!..."
"I won't disagree with that," Luke said as he smiled.
"Luke!"
"That's enough, Kris... You go ahead and take a bath... You smell worse than these onions..." My mom teased me.
"No I don't.. Okay... Okay... Wait... Where's Lance?" I asked.
"He went out to buy some ingredients... And I asked him if he can drop by the mall..."
"I see... Are you sure you don't want me to help?"
"I'm sure... Luke and I can take care of this..."
"Okay..."
Hours had past and they were almost done with all the food that they prepared. They asked Luke to rest and freshen up. I was sitting on the couch when Luke came out of his room with a towel on his head. His hair was still wet.
"Let me help you with that," I said as I stood up and went up to him.
He let me dry his hair. I was almost done when he looked at me and gave me a smile.
"So... This is how it feels like to have a wife..."
"I'm your boyfriend... Not your wife... I'm just taking care of my adorable boyfriend..."
"Then let's get married so I can call you my wife..."
"Shut up..." I said as I threw the towel on his face.
I let out a smirk and I sat back down on the couch. He sat beside me after a short while. He kept himself busy by checking his phone.
I still can't believe that this man beside me is my boyfriend. He's someone every girl would want to be their lover. But he chose me and I chose him. My family supports us and that really makes me happy.
"Uhm Luke..."
"Yeah?"
"Should we tell our friends about us?"
"Why not... I told them to come over to celebrate your birthday... It's up to you how will you make the announcement." He said showing me the sent messages to our friends.
"Okay... I better be prepared for that."
"Don't worry... Everything would be fine... I'm with you..."
----
Our friends came one after another. Miya and Niko were the first to come. They told me Pam can't make it because of church activity. I can't help but smile when they told me how badly Pam wants to be here. Jessie and Mike came few minutes after Niko and Miya. Jenna and Alex were the last the one to came but the most excited to see me. They bought a gift for me that caused them to came a bit late.
"Open it, Bes!" She was excited about her gift.
I opened the paper bag and there were three pairs of track pants and cotton t-shirts.
"Why would you give me a lot of these?" I implored quite confuse.
"Well... Those come with this..." She said as she handed over an envelope.
I pulled out what's inside and it was a gym membership card.
"Wow... But why?"
"The summer break is coming... So I thought we should get our beach body ready..."
"Well... If you want me to go you have to come with me... Or else I won't go alone..."
"Don't worry, Tope... I got myself a membership as well..." She showed me her card with a big smile on her face.
"Oh... I get it now... You wanted this for yourself... You're just using me as an excuse..."
"Hmmm... Quite true... But I know we would have fun working out together..."
"Fine... Thank you anyway..."
Everyone loved the food that my mother cooked with the help of Luke. Alex really enjoyed the Lumpiang Shanghai that he even asked my mom if she does made-to-order for the rolls. My mom told him she doesn't but immediately asked for Alex's address when she found out that he is Luke's younger brother.
Lance set up the karaoke in the living room. He actually bought it earlier when he dropped by the mall. Everyone gathered in the living room. Jessie and Mike just came back after volunteering to buy some drinks for us. Everyone was having fun.
It was so nice to see everyone I care about in one place, singing along, laughing, and relishing my small birthday celebration.
I was watching my mom singing along with an Abba song when Luke came by my side.
"Now I know where you got your talent in singing..." Luke said as he joined me.
"She told me she used to work as a singer in a bar when she was young... I'm so happy to hear her voice after a very long time..."
"Well... Thanks to your mom's beautiful voice... It set everyone in a good mood... I think it's a good chance to tell them now..." He suggested.
"Oh yeah... You're right! Wish me luck..."
Everyone gave my mom a round of applause after she finished her song. I picked up the microphone and stand in front of my friends.
"Hi... Everyone... First, I want to thank you guys for being here. You made my birthday really special... I know that everyone has been enjoying so far so I want to take this opportunity to tell you guys something..."
"What is it?" Jenna asked me.
"Uhm... I... I'm officially in a relationship..."
"What? With who?" Niko was surprised.
I saw Jenna smiled from ear to ear. Miya seemed confused. While Jessie and Mike looked at Luke raising their eyebrows.
"With Luke... We're a couple now..."
Miya and Jenna both screamed excitedly as they came up to me to give me a hug. Jessie and Mike cheered on Luke and gave him a high-five. Alex walked up to him and gave him a pat on his shoulder. I can see that my family was happy that I was able to tell my friends. Almost everyone showed their support to us except for one.
I walked up to him.
"Bro..."
He didn't say a word. He stood up, grabbed his jacket, and walked out.
"Niko... Where are you going?" Miya called him out but he didn't turn back and just head straight of our front door.
"Uhm... Sorry about that... Let me talk to him..." Miya grabbed her purse and followed Niko.
My mom walked over to me and asked, "What wrong with him?"
"I don't know, mom..." I said.
Everyone was a bit shocked by how Niko behaved. I didn't expect that at all.
At first, I was confused but then I realized that even though he's a close friend, he doesn't have a single idea about what's going on between Luke and me.
But does he have to react like that?
I need to talk to him.
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